Poll: 65 Percent Back Airstrikes in Iraq

Sixty-five percent of respondents to a Fox News poll released on Wednesday said they supported U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, though 52 percent disapproved of the way President Barack Obama has handled Iraq overall.

The poll of 1,001 adults conducted between Sunday and Tuesday found that only 23 percent of respondents did not support the airstrikes, which began on Friday.

Obama approved the airstrikes on Thursday, as well as humanitarian aid to refugees under siege by militants of the Islamic State (ISIS). He said they were necessary to "prevent terrorist forces from advancing on the city of Irbil."

On Monday, the White House said the United States would provide arms to the Kurdish peshmerga army battling ISIS.

Even though respondents backed President Barack Obama on the airstrikes, they did not approve of his overall dealings with Iraq. Only 37 percent supported how he has dealt with Baghdad, Fox reports.

The president also received a 49 percent disapproval rating on his performance in the White House, compared with 42 percent who approved.